Saturday, May 14, 2016

Fenway Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Collin McHugh vs. Clay Buchholz

The Houston Astros visit Fenway Park on Saturday to play the Boston Red Sox. The probable starters are Collin McHugh for the Astros and Clay Buchholz for the Red Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at +129 and Boston at -139. The over/under was set at 9. The Astros have a 18-13-5 over/under record and a 14-22-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 39% of the time. The Red Sox are 22-13-0 against the run line and have a 19-15-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 63% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 14-22 record, including 4-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Collin McHugh has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 5.50 and a WHIP of 1.63. He has 28 strikeouts over his 34.1 innings pitched and he has given up 48 hits so far this season. He has allowed 12.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.06. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.95 and they have given up 107 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the bullpen while being struck out 122 times and walking 25 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.46 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.57 batters per nine. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.45. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 340 base hits and 160 earned runs. They have allowed 44 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 92 batters and struck out 272. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.07.

As a team, Houston is batting .229, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .216 average away from home. The Astros hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 7.61 hits per game. Jose Altuve comes into this game hitting .326 and his on-base percentage is at .411. He has 46 hits this season along with 32 runs scored and 22 runs batted in. He's struck out 19 times and has walked 18 times. Carlos Correa is hitting .269 and he has an on-base percentage of .379. He has totaled 35 hits so far while scoring 19 runs and he's driven in 17. He has walked 22 times and has struck out 35 times. The Astros have 274 hits, including 76 doubles and 43 home runs. They've stolen 29 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 11 times. Houston has walked 145 times this season and they've struck out 357 times as a unit. They've left 244 men on base and have a team OPS of .720. They score 4.03 runs per contest and have scored a total of 145 runs so far this year.

Boston comes into this matchup with a 12-7 home record and a 22-13 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.90, Clay Buchholz has a 2-3 record and a 1.44 WHIP. He has 27 strikeouts over the 39.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 40 hits. He has allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.14. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.42 and they have given up 91 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the Red Sox bullpen while being struck out 120 times and walking 49 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.11 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.17 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Red Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 282 base knocks and 143 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 30 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a staff has walked 128 hitters and struck out 319. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 3.70.

As a team, they are batting .295, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .307 average at home. The Red Sox hold a .485 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .355 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.49 hits per contest. Xander Bogaerts comes into this matchup batting .331 and he has an OBP of .385. He has 47 hits this year along with 27 runs scored and 18 RBI. He's struck out 26 times and has walked on 12 occasions. Dustin Pedroia is hitting .306 and he has an OBP of .354. He has collected 45 hits so far while he's scored 27 runs and drove in 20. He has earned a walk 11 times and has punched out 24 times. The Red Sox as a unit have 367 base hits, including 90 doubles and 42 homers. They have 27 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 2 times. Boston as a team has walked 111 times this year and they have struck out 270 times. They've had 246 men left on base and have an OPS of .841. They score 5.91 runs per game and have totaled 207 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 18-13-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 14-22-0 against the run line so far this season

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 19-15-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 22-13-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

No key injuries to report

Boston Red Sox

05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/19/16 P Joe Kelly Shoulder 15-day DL (4/19)
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Eduardo Rodrigue Knee 15-day DL (4/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Red Sox

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